The roads into Marseille’s most notorious estate are blocked off with makeshift barricades The purpose is two-fold: to prevent police incursion and offer protection against rival crime networks Even paramedics arriving in ambulances are forced to show credentials by the controlling gangs before being allowed to pass When I attempt to enter the infamous neighbourhood on foot They pass a message about an unknown intruder via radio and soon a dozen other masked figures on mopeds have surrounded me It’s almost immediate and it’s certainly intimidating a white wall is covered with stark black graffiti: “Ici c’est chez nous” — “This is our house” Their demand is straightforward: “Que fais-tu ici?” — what are you doing here The answer is that La Castellane — replete with its drug trafficking, prostitution, arms smuggling and chronic unemployment — is the estate from whence Zinedine Zidane, arguably France’s greatest-ever footballer, hails. “I grew up here with my parents,” Zidane said last year “We always have the same heart even if we have left.” The estate was built in the 1960s — a modernist series of tower blocks intended for refugees of the Algerian War about 10 kilometres from the touristic old port and marina Marseille — France’s second largest city — contains multitudes It has long been a cultural melting pot and that is reflected in a series of diverse That is abundantly clear in the origin stories of the city’s two most famous footballing sons: Zidane and Eric Cantona Their tales begin in wildly different regions of this fractured city: La Castellane and Les Caillols — but forged in both a strength of character that provided the foundation for their success The legend goes that Eric Cantona was raised in a cave The reality is a little more prosaic — but the family’s story remains extraordinary The Cantona’s home was constructed in the 1950s on a sheer slope to the east of the city Eric’s grandmother Lucienne identified a plot of land suitable for a home “It didn’t cost much,” Eric’s father Albert said in Philippe Auclair’s exhaustive Cantona biography The Rebel Who Would Be King “because no one thought it would be possible to build a house on such rocky terrain” Lucienne and her husband Joseph required somewhere to live while they built their new abode They discovered a small cave in the mountainside They made it their home while the house was constructed covering the entrance with a curtain for shelter heating or running water — during winter La Chambrette remained incorporated into the design a lasting monument to the family’s struggle Cantona himself may not have lived in a cave but his father and grandfather certainly did Les Caillols is about 15 kilometres from La Castellane — a mere 20-minute drive — but in ambience a village — a series of small streets constructed around a church The Cantona residence looks down from halfway up the mountain an almost rural existence — Cantona had a surprisingly outdoorsy upbringing hiking in the mountains and shooting lark and woodcock with his father In comparison to the grittiness of Zidane’s urban environment Marseille has always offered a refuge for travellers from the Mediterranean Cantona himself has both Sardinian and Catalan heritage — they contributed traits that would remain with him in later life (had) created an unusual mix,” Cantona’s brother Joel has said but also the typical warmth of Mediterranean families.” Football was an ever-present theme in the young Cantona’s life but even then the young Eric had designs on a more expressive way of playing Cantona and his brothers honed their technique on the hillside they’d use scrunched-up newspaper or rolled-up socks Eric would venture down the hill to hone his game in the streets of Marseille That libertine spirit was formed in his childhood What made Cantona great was his determination to maintain that sense of freedom despite the pressures of the professional game “My luck is that I have kept the spirit of street football,” says Cantona What I have kept from this time is pleasure the uncertainty of the result and spontaneity a player remains more spontaneous than artists who claim to be spontaneous themselves.” there were indications of Eric’s quick temper: after losing two consecutive games at table tennis the young Cantona jumped on the table with such force that it split in two It seems his kung-fu inclinations began early Cantona would have been able to look down on the Arsene-Manelli stadium the home ground of his first club: Sports Olympiques (‘SO’) Caillolais He grew up watching the likes of Josip Skoblar and Roger Magnusson in the fine Olympique Marseille team of the 1970s Cantona would actually play for Marseille — a period which saw him win two league titles but was plagued by disciplinary problems At the bottom of the hillside today is a little caged football pitch. On the day I visit, some teenagers are playing in a variety of shirts. One wears a Marseille kit with the name of Dimitri Payet on the back, another sports a PSG shirt featuring Neymar But one wears a Manchester United shirt — perhaps a suggestion that Cantona’s myth endures in the outskirts of Marseille a local at a bus stop tells me this is “a very dangerous place This fortress-like estate is unpredictable and volatile — it has a flavour of the favelas of South America Having been stopped and surrounded — taking pictures does not seem a smart move at this stage — I am asked what brings me to Le Castellane The answer is simple: Zidane — although within the estate he was always known by his middle name lies the Place Tartane: a narrow strip of faded pink paving stones that has long been repurposed as a football pitch It is approximately 80 yards long and just 12 feet wide With dozens of children playing in such a congested space immaculate technique was a necessity.  Zidane grew up in one of the flats overlooking the square — No 28 His parents Smail and Malika settled in Marseille in the 1960s The story goes that the apartment was so small that Zidane and his family had to rotate sitting down to eat Zidane would rush out to join the game once again although a satellite dish still hangs limply out of the wall most of La Castellane’s residents are working tirelessly to get by Zidane credits his father with inspiring his work ethic often on nightshifts — it was gruelling labour “I’m very inspired by him,” Zidane has said “It was my father who taught us that an immigrant must work twice as hard as anybody else The site where they played was close to where the hillside ‘Marseille’ sign was erected Zidane’s story is indelibly linked to this city Around 7,000 people live in La Castellane today It continues to be fertile ground for footballing talent When The Athletic reveals they are visiting because of Zidane a number of young players openly tout their football credentials Zidane has played his part in continuing that production line by funding the local football club Association des Jeunes de la Nouvelle Vague They train on a pitch the other side of the highway — there was a synthetic pitch in La Castellane itself but it has — perhaps rather fittingly — become a shooting range The reality is that only a tiny fraction of La Castellane’s residents are involved in crime the blockades and constant threat of violence must be hugely unsettling The Nouvelle Vague team provides an invaluable opportunity to get youngsters off the street and allows them to dream of following in Zidane’s footsteps La Castellane is where I want to go back to,” said Zidane in 2004 It is true that it is still a difficult area what is called in French a quartier difficile But I think there is also a special culture there I think Marseille is probably a place like Liverpool “My passion for the game comes from the city of Marseille itself.” famously boiling over in the 2006 World Cup final when he was sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi for all the technical control that he exhibited that fighting spirit could not be entirely removed from him It was part of his nature — and part of what made him such a relentless winner “It’s hard to explain but I have a need to play intensely every day “And this desire never to stop fighting is something else I learnt in the place where I grew up.” Their background in Marseille remains integral to both Zidane and Cantona’s identities Shortly after the end of Cantona’s eight-month ban in 1995 he appeared in a video sporting a T-shirt that read “Fier d’etre Marseillais” – Proud to be a Marseillais Zidane’s ties to the city are still strong: earlier this year he returned to La Castellane to open a new medical centre “My heart is still here,” he told reporters This sprawling city of contrasts has produced two of the finest French footballers to play the game their origins could not have been much more different And yet both played with a comparable combination of artistic flair and violent temper James McNicholas has covered Arsenal extensively for more than a decade. He has written for ESPN, Bleacher Report and FourFourTwo Magazine, and is the co-host of the Arsecast Extra Podcast. Follow James on Twitter @gunnerblog The friend of the Red Devils legend was quick to draw comparisons with their current star while stating the former was practically married to England Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier sees similarities between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and former Manchester United great Eric Cantona Verratti can make Barcelona's midfield great again Galtier grew up alongside fellow Marseille native Cantona and played in the youth system of Les Caillols along with the striker Cantona then established himself into English folklore after joining first Leeds United and then Manchester United winning four Premier League titles with the latter And Galtier has now compared Ibrahimovic to Cantona after becoming inspired by the Swede's larger-than-life personality similar to his French predecessor in Red Devils colours “When I look at Ibra I think of Eric Cantona," the 50-year-old told the Daily Telegraph on the eve of Saint-Etienne's Europa League round of 32 clash with United The trainer then went on to discuss the love affair between Cantona and English football The Ligue 1 U23 Power Rankings "When he went to Leeds [United] he proposed to England When he went to Manchester he married England strong relationship with [Manchester United manager] Sir Alex Ferguson Galtier experienced a less fruitful stint in the Premier League serving as Portsmouth assistant manager before being sacked in 2005 as part of Alain Perrin’s staff the Frenchman insists he still loves the country and would relish a return - even if he is not obsessed over where he ends up in the future very emotional,” Galtier said of his final match at Portsmouth assistant against Manchester United at Old Trafford a bad moment for me because I love the Premier League and I then left Harry Redknapp was coming back and he wanted his own staff But I loved - and love - the Premier League Arsenal and Madrid were wrong to snub Draxler “It’s a small country but there are a lot of derbies I can imagine Liverpool v Everton; Man U v City; Arsenal v Tottenham "In England there is money but it’s not about the money "A lot of people think it is my objective to go to England but not especially love the Premier League but I am not focused on that I was so disappointed to only be there for six months [at Portsmouth] France's tramway systems went such through massive decline following the Second World War that only three city networks Urban Community Marseilles Provence Metropolis (CUMPM) Specially designed trams to fit in with Marseille’s maritime and Mediterranean influences New tram system covering new areas of the city not accessed by rapid transit Greater comfort for passengers to make public transport more appealing Bombardier MITRAC 500 propulsion and control system France’s tramway systems went such through massive decline following the Second World War that only three city networks survived in 1966 This is now being reversed in a massive way and Marseille in southern France (population 1.5 million) is one of those to benefit from both metro and light rail expansion The new metro being developed incorporates the last remaining tram line in Marseille which was closed in 2003 to become part of the new network and 15.6km (9.75 miles) of the 19.3km (12 miles) system is underground The major feature of the light rail developments in Marseille is the building of two new tram lines backed by local authority Urban Community Marseilles Provence Metropolis (CUMPM) The first of these is already being built by the TMM Consortium which includes project supervisor SMM-Semaly connecting Euromediterranee (Gantes) in the west of the city and Blancarde in the east It features 12 stations at principal locations along the route and the first section has a 2007 opening date A second line between Noailles and Blancarde will add 2.1km and six stations to the network a 0.6km extension of the first line from Gantes to Arenc takes the system length to 11.7km A third phase of tramway development sees the completion of the Noailles-Les Caillols line from Blancarde-Les Caillols re-using the tunnel previously used by tramline 68 (the last in Marseille) It will run from Quatre Septembre to Canebiere and Castellane to Canebiere the new tram lines will extend to parts of the city not served by the metro which is based on the VAL system employed in Lyon and the French capital Paris this will be expanded by 2.5km from the current eastern terminus at La Timone to La Fourragere with the inclusion of a tram/metro/SNCF main line rail interchange at La Blancarde Line 2 is to be extended east (on the south side of the city) from St Loup-Pagnol A large amount of construction work is underway in Marseille to provide the new infrastructure for both the tramway network above ground and the extension of the metro underground Features of the metro extension include digging a new tunnel over a 15 month period provision of 500 parking spaces to feed the metro and creation of 5,500 jobs during construction The total cost of the short extension is €350m and while it has a maximum design speed of 70km/h the average between stops is only expected to be 20km/h The distance between stations will be 400m and five will offer interchange with the metro The maximum gradient on the route will be 80% A new maintenance facility is being built to provide all the necessary repair and storage facilities An order for 40 brand new Flexity Outlook tramcars has been placed with Bombardier to provide 36 for daily service The vehicles have driving cabs at both ends a 100% low-floor interior and the proven Bombardier MITRAC propulsion and control system as used on tram and metro systems around the globe The new vehicles have a modern and spacious feel with broad picture windows offering a good view of the city Wooden backed seats have been chosen and provision will also be made for the disabled The new trams are being built to run on standard 1,435mm gauge lines operating from a 750V DC overhead electric supply and a total of 144 vehicles are formed into four car trains The size of the fleet makes it possible to upgrade to a three minute interval service at peak times The TMM Consortium led by SMM Semaly is responsible for the installation of the ancillary equipment Installation of Bombardier MITRAC 500 propulsion and control system will ensure the trams run smoothly both from a performance and safety point of view The tramway in Marseille is being built to help reduce congestion in the city centre whilst also providing a flexible and attractive way to travel The new trams have been designed to fit in with the maritime and Mediterranean feel of Marseille with input from CUMPM and MBD Design The year 2011 has been mooted as the completion date for the first three new tram lines in Marseille whilst the metro system also has future development prospects Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network C’est une étape de franchie dans la grande modernisation du campus de formation de La Cadenelle Le premier bâtiment vient d’être livré pour proposer un espace pédagogique avec ses salles de classes totalement neuves Les étudiants en profiteront dès la rentrée de janvier 2025 Trois autres bâtiments sont en train de sortir de terre créé à la fin des années 1960 par le célèbre architecte marseillais Fernand Boukobza à qui l’on doit aussi Le Brasilia (8e) « On s’appuie sur l’architecture d’ensemble exceptionnelle qu’il avait créé avec une forte approche paysagère » associé à Didier Becchetti pour dessiner l’extension qui atteint près de 10 000 m2 Il s’agit principalement de remplacer des salles en préfabriquées ajoutées à l’arrière du campus dans les années 1980 Et de créer une immense halle de sports moderne Le tout en mettant en avant le cadre paysager végétal du site Avec une conception pensée pour être la plus vertueuse en thermes énergétique Notamment avec l’installation d’une toiture photovoltaïque qui doit permettre à l’établissement d’atteindre l’autoconsommation Ce chantier d’ampleur évalué autour de 17 millions d’euros doit aboutir avant l’été 2025 pour être complètement opérationnel à la rentrée prochaine Sans oublier la réhabilitation de l’existant qui débutera dans un second temps pour 10 millions d’euros L’ensemble permettra d’accueillir 1200 étudiants De quoi fêter dignement les 80 ans de cet établissement privé laïque de formation fondé par une Marseillaise de grande famille Il était d’abord situé dans le quartier du 8e qui lui a donné son nom et dédié à l’enseignement ménager familial La Cadenelle a largement évolué depuis et déménagé sur cette colline verdoyante qui surplombe le centre d’entrainement de l’OM Il propose aujourd’hui des parcours allant du médico-social à l’hôtellerie-restauration en passant par le management le commerce ou la gestion et comptabilité Avec une forte volonté de favoriser un apprentissage au plus près du monde professionnel et de l’entreprise C’est pourquoi le chantier prévoit la création d’un « village d’entreprises rappelle le directeur de l’établissement Pour favoriser encore plus l’interaction avec le monde de l’entreprise Connecter les attentes du monde professionnel avec le parcours pédagogique des étudiants » Il présente donc les quatre marraines issues du monde économique qui chapeauteront cette interaction entre les élèves de La Cadenelle et leurs entreprises Pour sa part, Isabelle Bremond, à la tête de Provence Tourisme apportera son expertise aux étudiants en hôtellerie associée du groupe d’expertise comptable Ficorec interviendra sur les cursus de comptabilité et de gestion Attendue depuis janvier la réunion du groupement d’intérêt public (GIP) Transports qui réunit la Ville la Métropole et l’État pour piloter les projets de mobilités du plan Marseille en Grand de faire le point sur les projets déjà actés par cet investissement public qui s’élève aujourd’hui à un milliard d’euros Et tenter de se mettre d’accord sur des projets qui patinent encore entre la Ville et la Métropole : le tramway vers la Belle-de-Mai, que la mairie souhaite moins impactant pour le bâti existant ; et le tramway vers la place du 4-Septembre qui ne convainc pas la municipalité Si le dialogue a pu reprendre sur ces deux sujets « Pour l’un comme pour l’autre la Métropole poursuivra les études approfondies en vue d’apporter des réponses techniques crédibles aux demandes exprimées » Mais cette réunion a signé la reprise des travaux sur le développement des transports à Marseille Elle a notamment permis à la Métropole de poser sur la table de nouveaux projets Comme l’annonce la Préfecture « a été acté le lancement de nouvelles études destinées à nourrir les réflexions pour le développement des transports en commun dans la deuxième ville de France » « la Métropole engagera très prochainement les études » pour six projets Comme un nouveau tramway vers l’Escale Borély, en passant devant le parc du même nom. Il s’agirait d’une fusion, ou extension, avec un autre projet déjà à l’étude, le tramway Blancarde-Dromel qui deviendrait alors : Blancarde – Borély en passant par Rabatau et l’avenue du Prado Des études porteront également sur le prolongement du tramway T1 qui relie aujourd’hui le centre-ville au quartier des Caillols afin qu’il poursuive sa route jusqu’à la Valentine et sa grande zone commerciale Un projet de métro ressurgit également. Celui de l’extension de la ligne 2, au Sud-Est de Marseille, vers Saint-Loup prévu dans le Plan de déplacements urbains (PDM) il a été revu à la baisse et les études porteront désormais sur un terminus moins éloigné La Métropole lancera également des études pour deux projets déjà dans les tuyaux dans le cadre du plan Marseille en Grand comme le prolongement du futur tramway de la Belle-de-Mai jusqu’à Saint-Jérôme ou encore celui du tramway de la Castellane jusqu’au pôle d’échange de Saint-Antoine la Métropole annonce également lancer une réflexion sur le projet de Bus à haut niveau de service (BHNS) entre Aix-en-Provence Éric Cantona is a French actor and former professional soccer player who has a net worth of $25 million He was a forward who spent his youth career playing for SO Les Caillols and Auxerre Éric Cantona joined Auxerre's senior team in 1983 and played there until 1988 but was loaned to Martigues from 1985 to 1986 He played for Marseille from 1988 to 1991 and was loaned to Bordeaux in 1989 and Montpellier from 1989 to 1990 Cantona played for Nimes in 1991 and Leeds United in 1992 He finished his career with Manchester United from 1992 to 1997 and scored 131 in 369 games during his senior career He also represented France in international competition scoring 20 goals in 45 caps He has acted in several films and has served as a player-manager for the French national beach soccer team who won the 2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Éric Cantona was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 and is known as one of the most controversial and enigmatic players © 2025 Celebrity Net Worth / All Rights Reserved